Construction of submarine vessels.



H. E. YARROW.

'consmucnow or SUBMARINE VESSELS.

Patented June 5, 1917.

2 SHEETS $HEET 1 APPLICATION FILED AUG. I, l9l6.

' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD EDGAR YABROW, OF SCOTSTOUN, GLASGOW, SCOTLANII.

CONSTRUCTION OF SU BMAEINEjVESS ELS.

' Application filed August 1,

To all whom it may concern:

difiiculties occur owing to the confinedspace in which the men have towork, which limits the number who can be employed and also hampers theiroperations, and for both reasons, rolongs the time required for theconstruction of the vessel.

These drawbacks apply more especially to the operations of riveting andof making the water-tight connections between the hull 1 and the varioustanks into which a submarine vessel is subdivided- In the usualpractice, the hulls of these vessels are formed, as in ships notintended for submersion, of transverse frames to which the plates areconnected, and in the confined space of a submarine a very considerableamount of time is required to make and to rivet in place the specialwater-tight filling-in pieces, where these frames pass through awater-tight, flat or bulkhead.

The principles determining the construction of-an ordinary sea-goingship do 'not apply without modification to a submarine vessel which isusually of the approximate form of a tube of annular cross section. Theprincipal stress to which a submarine is exposed is due to the externalpressure exerted by the column of water, and it is well known that anannular section is best adapted to withstand such pressure and that, fora given amount of material, a tube is best adapted to give thelongitudinal strength to resist bending moments.

According to the invention, the hull of a y submarine vessel of the.type mentioned is formed of external plates connected by longitudinaland transverse butt straps adapted without the addition of transverseframes to stand the stresses to which the structure is normallysubjected.

If a submarine should rest on the bottom of the sea and should happen tolodge on a sharp rock, or on a pointed object, such as an anchor, thetransverse frames become a source of weakness, since theylocalize the,

extent to. which the plating can give way' in order to accommodateitself to the ob- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

1916. Serial No. 112,612.

struction. The indentation is consequently very local and the plating isliable to'be ruptured and allow water to find access to the interior ofthe vessel.

In the arrangement according to the invention, all or some of the platesare flanged for the attachment of the various fittings to the interiorin order to avoid the drawbacks attending the provision of rivetspassing through the hull. This flanging also adds to the stiflness ofthe structure but is not required to supply the resistance to thebending moments or the external pressure.

The material saved by the omission of the transverse frames may be putinto the external' plating and thereby strengthen the vessel againstlocal damage. I

. In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate diagrammatically anexample of a'construction of a submarine vessel accord- Ing to thelnventlon, Flgure 1 1s a transverse the longitudinal and transverse buttstraps.

The plates or form the internal hull; the

plates 1) form the external hull or ballast tanks, which extend over thegreater part of the length of the vessel. In the example shown, everyother plate of. the inner hull is provided with a flange 0' at eachedge,

and every other plate of the .outer hull with a flange d at each edge,but every late may be flanged at one or both edges. he plates a areconnected by longitudinal butt straps e. Below the water-tight fiat fare the oil fuel and ballast tanks. Where there is a large opening inthe inner hull extra stiffening members 9 may be provided. Thetransverse butt straps h (Fig. 4) may be flanged at each end, as shown,in order to-make a particularly, strong connection with the plates c.

Having thu described my said invention and the best means I know ofcarrying the same into practical effect, I claim 1. Ina submarinevessel,-of the type in which the hull is approximately in the form of atube of annular cross section, external plates connected by longitudinaland transverse butt straps adapted to sustain,without the addition oftransverse frames, the bendmg moments and external pressure to which thevessel is exposed, substantially as described;

2. In\a submarine vessel, of the type in which the hull is approximatelyin the form of a tube of annular crosssection,'external plates connectedby longitudinal and transversebutt straps adapted to sustain, withoutthe addition of transverse frames, the bending moments and externalpressure to which the,vessel is exposed, the ends of at least some ofthe plates being bent inward in order to provide 'for the attachment ofthe various fittings to the interior of the vessel without the provisionof rivets passin throuh the hull, substantially as describe 3. In asubmarine vessel, of the type in Which the hull is approximately in theform of a tube ofannular cross section, external plates connected bylongitudinal and transverse butt straps which are flanged at each endand are adapted to sustain, without the addition of transverse frames,thebending ,moments and external pressure to which the vessel isexposed, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I have signedmy name to this specification in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses. HAROLD EDGAR YARROW. Witnesses:

JAMES RITCHIE, CHnrssm M. WATSON.

